Harry Potter And A New Path To The Future
by BattlemageABK
Summary: A different Halloween, a different decision of Darkness, a different memory, can they shape up the destiny of a person, and maybe even the destiny of the whole world?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, only J. K. Rowling does.

A/N: An original chapter so not much to say, rating is T now but may go up due to graphic violence and adult situations.

Chapter 1: A memory to write the future

POV 'Harry'

"And how is my little baby doing?" a woman with pretty green eyes and beautiful red hair asked me as she took me in her lap. I knew her. She was Lils mum , my mum was always there when the world was not dark. I was happy whenever she was with me.

I did not understand everything she said but there were fuzzy, tickly feelings whenever she played with me or tickled me or made faces or….I stopped thinking and giggled as she started playing with me, swinging me around just like the time when dad james took me to fly some days ago and was on couch punishment for a week for that.

I did not understand, the couch was very fluffy but dad told me later it was harder than his job or something because I stooped paying attention by that time as unca pafoo came to play.

I liked riding unca pafoo so when he stuck his tongue out at me I wanted him, and then the feeling came over me, the same one I got when Nev took my prongsie toy from me once and when I wanted the candy, I knew what was going to happen. Pafoo came _zoom_ and gave a surprised bark as I climbed on him.

"Run, run," I scratched Pafoo behind the ears to make him go fast as the sound of sharp breaths made me look up and I giggled as I looked at mum and dad and aunt Amy's surprised faces. I liked surprises , I liked flying too, Nev did not coz he liked flowers and stuff. I cheered as Pafoo started to walk and heard mum talking.

"Uh Amy, did you see that, I mean Harry performed accidental magic?" mum asked aunt Amy who was still staring at me so I giggled and she gave me a smile before turning her face to mum.

"Lily, I am pretty sure children don't perform accidental magic at least until they are 3 years old," aunt Amy had an odd expression which I did not understand so I stopped paying attention. I just heard dad say something about 'Harry can do wandless magic ,he will be the greatest marauder, stronger than Merlin..' and mom saying something about delinquent marauders and not my harry and whacking dad over the , and unca Pafoo giving loud barks with his tongue rolling out..

-XoXoX-

Halloween, 1981

I woke up as shouting reached my ears.

" _Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!_ "

I felt darkness, blackness near me, trying to get everywhere, and taking away all the warmth and fuzziness before the door burst open and mum came in, and with her the warmness.

I smiled at her and crawled towards her, " Mum! Mum! We play ?" I asked but she just gave a smile that did not quite reach her beautiful green eyes and started piling up things at the door.

"We play hide n' seek?" I asked when I saw her running back to me, picking me up and hiding behind my little bed, taking a pendant out and whispering 'Marauders Sanctuary' continuously. There were noises outside and then someone said Crucio and dad's loud cry reached us. Mum started crying and whispering 'Its going to be fine' in my ear and rocking us back and forth as she hugged me tightly. But I knew that she was very, very ,very sad because I could feel her emotions just like she could mine, mum called it the maternal magical sustenance magical connection, I just called it, 'Magic Mum' in my head.

"Mum sad, you boo boo?"

She just gave a strangled laugh that turned into a wail but quickly stood up with her magic wand pointed as the door burst open and Darkness walked in, he was very tall, very pale, and had dark hair and red eyes. Darkness was lazily carrying his magic wand, dad was floating behind him, red blood dripping from his head and his body vibrating and shaking. He was gazing past us, as if in a trance just like whenever mum gave him a long kiss. I looked up as mom gave a strangled sob and whispered, "James", her wand shaking as she looked at Darkness.

"Aha, the Potter family reunion, looks like everybody is going to go out together on….what did the old fool call it, yes, 'The Next Great Adventure'," Darkness hissed in a voice just like Ms. Hissyhiss the green snake in our backyard but it was colder, seeping all warmth from everywhere and feeding from it.

"Not my Harry, not Harry , please take me instead," mum pleaded as her wand arm wavered.

"Step away girl, I have promised you to my greatest follower, I just want the child," Darkness said and gazed at me for a second than stepped in the room, dad floating behind him.

Mum fired something from her wand but darkness made a sweeping motion and bright light appeared in front of him as he carelessly dropped dad near a wall.

Then he turned his red eyes to us, with his wand point glowing a faint green.

"No not Harry, have mercy , please have mercy,," why was she crying? Why did Darkness want him?

"Very well then," he gave of an amused chuckle and pointed his wand and said, "Crucio."

Mum dropped me into my bed faster than I could blink, as she screamed and fell down. I felt pain and anger and sadness, lots and lots and lots of sadness, as Darkness sent magic at mum and sent her near dad too.

Mum and dad looked at me with tear filled eyes as mum tried to extend her hand to me, I also brought my hand forward but then Darkness said crucio again and mum fell back down.

I was scared and angry when Darkness turned back to me as he came walking up to me, again giving the feeling in my head as to why he was Darkness. He then swept his eyes across the room looking from mum and dad to me and sneered, "And this is how the world will know, how does opposing Lord Voldemort end up for anyone, how Lord Voldemort conquered the prophecy, that fate and death are nothing but puppets of my hand and how the last hope of weaklings will fall by my hand, tonight!" and then he gave a cold laugh , a laugh that would send shivers down people's spines.

"Harry," I turned to mum's voice, small, defeated and sad, I did not like it. "Harry! Mama loves you," and then she too closed her eyes like dad.

"You hurt mum."

"Yes, I hurt your mudblood mum," Darkness laughed, amused, "don't worry Harry Potter this will not hurt you at all my greatest enemy." He then raised his wand at me. "Avada Kedavra!"

The green light came,and it hurt, it hurt a lot so I cried, for mum, dad, unca Pafoo, aunt Amy, unca Remy, Wormy to come and make it stop. That's when I saw, Darkness going away, running away not permanently, but to gather strength, to come back one day, to finish what it started tonight started, to end is greatest enemy, me, and everything that stood in our paths.

So I kept crying, for Pafoo to come to stop it from hurting, for mum to wake up and play with me, for anyone to come. No one came, and then the world became dark.

-XoXoX-

Normal POV

In a bedroom of a manor fit for kings and queens, brilliant green eyes snapped open to look at the blue ceiling, of moving brooms and open skies, and looked around the room, alert and aware very much unlike any other near eleven year old, but he was not just another child. And these memories that had been a part of his existence were not normal either.

As usual he looked at the time in the wall clock, it was 4 o'clock in the morning, a full 1 hour before mum woke up. He was up before everyone else in the morning as was the case since he had turned 6 and joined the martial arts lessons in school, and started up his morning exercises. It was not really a hard decision since most wizards never learned to do it despite it being so useful.

It wasn't really hard when his memories could pick up what he did right and where he went wrong so he could develop a successful routine. Of course his family knew about his lessons, how could they not, he was muscular and tall enough to be considered a thirteen or a fourteen year old and not really an eleven year old. Only they thought that the lessons were just a hobby, as opposed to what Harry learned them as, a valuable skill to know.

Then again no one expected him to combine his animagus transformations to his martial arts skill to reach a level very rarely seen in those even at the top of the and improvisation was the name of the game when he got bored with the usual push ups, situps and other physical exercises, it was no wonder then that with the developing muscles that most girls got red faced whenever he gave his own version of the Potter grin, even if he was quite oblivious as to what his smile and physique's did to the fairer sex .

Though even Harry had to admit that it would have been much harder to hide how much he trained, in magic, in non- magical arts, in just about everything he found useful;from reading books to wandless spells to using a sword or dagger to changing forms and even cooking and cleaning if there had not been this huge Potter Manor in which he lived with oh so many rooms and house elves eager to help as well as his personal elf Tulip to help with concealing everything.

He had honestly never expected to keep secrets from his family but as it happened, after that night, his mother had become even more protective of him, if that was indeed possible. He honestly couldn't blame her, witnessing her son about to get killed while she could not do anything must have been hard, it would have been harder for dad still, but he had been unconscious for most of the time after Voldemort cast the Cruciatus on him.

That was another thing, Darkness, the name that his subconscious and magic had given the malevolent entity, because his magic recognized Darkness as an abnormality, an imbalance to the natural laws of magic, he didn't know how or through what magic, but Harry knew this much, this Darkness had a tainted soul, a ruined heart and a not totally sane mind, at least not anything close to human beings had a name,had a name feared by most in the world he lived , a name which only made him laugh, 'Flight from Death' just did not feel like a true name.

And from all his limited research he could do on families, all he had found out about the extinct Slytherin line was there last descendants were the Gaunts', he had made plans to learn more but it was a bit harder to sneak out of the manor without anyone finding about his excursion trips or about his special fading powers-very similar to house elves but more efficient in his animal form.

As it was the times when he had been out without permission had more or less all been close calls and he had just eluded discovery many times by the skin of his teeth. It had become harder still, with his older cousin Nymphadora-call-me-Tonks 'Tonks' had decided that during her school holidays, she had to trail him and find out for herself what Harry did in his own time.

Even if this annoyed him a lot, he had learned to ditch her when he wanted to be alone to cast wandless spells, practice his hand to hand combat skills, do fencing with animated statues, maybe even carve runes like he always did to calm his mind though if his family found out that he could carve runes let alone have it as a hobby at such a young age they would have flipped.

But Harry didn't care, he had not cared about that bicorn he had kicked away once when it tried to get too close to his sister for his comfort on their family's holiday trip to Egypt at the age of 7 or when he was taking lessons in the mind arts from an ancient beautiful sphinx near a tomb while his parents were siteseeing, being tourists and all boring stuff. He also did not care when he completed his animagus transformation without anyone's assistance at the ripe old age of ten, nor did he care when he started carving dangerous runes with the help of his mom's old rune carving kit.

At some point, what had started as ways to get stronger had now become a part of his life, they had become fun for him, even the adults could see that there had been some long term consequences of that night when Harry had survived the killing curse, the lingering dark magic of the curse had stayed in him and its removal had taken a full three days, a tense three days where there was a possibility that Harry may even lose his magic or worse, his life.

That was the time that The Alliance came into being, all of those families that suffered and were related by some way or the other, all of them young and scared for their children's futures. The behavior of the most powerful wizard of Britain did not assure them either.

All of these houses had just come into their seats in the Wizengamot and did not have much sway in the decision making, and when the Great Albus Dumbledore decided to award the most brutal of Death Eaters with a second chance instead of The Kiss as well as the ultimate scum got away with rape, murder, torture, kidnappings and all forms of crimes just by some underhanded dealings and claiming the Imperious Curse, these families knew that they had to look after their own.

The final straw came when Dumbledore started pushing Lily and James Potter to give their son to the Dursleys; 'For The Greater Good' of course. His claims that Harry needed a humbling childhood and not all this fame had been repeatedly rebuffed and from someone viewed reverently by the Potters, he had become just another person .

After this happened, Lily had taken a more active role in trying to create a better future for her Sweetheart and thus the most powerful faction of the Wizengamot came into being. With the combined might of the houses of Potter, Black, Bones, Longbottom, Abbott, Greengrass, Turpin, Boot, and Davis they had stopped many laws like the muggle baiting or the werewolf marking or the laws to put down the muggleborns further from passing, thus keeping the likes of Malfoy, Nott, Yaxley and others at bay.

That was not to say that all of these families were all happy with each other, the friction had reduced somewhat because of all the children being playmates but in the later years, they all could collectively say that the strongest joining force among their families was Harry.

He just had something about him, a presence, his charisma, maybe the maturity beyond his years, a brain far greater than the rest, maybe even his own magic was at work, but he had the best of relations with just about everyone, every adult person was his uncle or aunt, if they were not his parents, the way he could just engage Mister Boot in talks about politics for hours or the way he would talk about medical procedures with senior Healer Andromeda Tonks, or how he would organize quidditch games or when he would discuss magical laws with Aunt Amelia, his unique ability to talk and interact with any and everyone on an equal level astounded everyone, and even though he hated fame and public mobs and all kinds of hero worship (and his father and godfather hated this one thing about him) when he was in his comfort zone, there was no one better than him.

Everybody already suspected he would be a Ravenclaw with how much eager he was to study and learn, and how he had almost unparalleled knowledge about many things even at such a young age, thanks to his astounding memory recollection, he could talk about the twelve uses of the dragon blood or he could go talk for hours on something as random as the invention of brooms and the game of quidditch.

This of course did not include the training the family heads gave their children on the proper mannerisms and etiquettes of the purebloods, and Neville for all of his clumsiness and timidity took all this with maturity while Daphne for all her iciness was the one complaining most about the uselessness of boring lectures about the histories of their families.

These eight friends: Harry, Neville, Daphne, Susan, Tracey, Hannah, Terry and Lisa somehow had Harry as their de facto leader who unknown to them had gotten them into a productive hobby for each of them, just in the name of fun, another thing he was adored by the adults for.

Harry was adored by the younger years too with his sister Iris and his god sister Alexandra clinging to him whenever and however they could. Since Alex was the oldest Black child and Susan had always been closer to her best friend Hannah, more often than not, she found her god brother as the perfect big brother.

Then there was Iris, the most adorable, most beautiful little thing that harry ever laid eyes upon and for whom he acted sometimes in the parental role too. It was a minor thing nut sometimes the elder Potters just put too much emphasis on Harry and his happiness, especially his mother, a lingering bout of over protectiveness that never really went away. But when an eight year old could not understand why her mum gave a bigger hug and kiss to her older brother, Harry had to make her understand that she was just as special if not more than him..

He had to play the cool big brother in her life, slaying dragons and dumping mummies just like in the few books that had been published before the Potter's solicitor was able to put a stop to it all. That was also the reason, why Harry was a celebrity, a special symbol, of the triumph of good on evil, as naïve or as fickle the public opinion was.

That was why he trained himself, to keep his loved ones safe, to keep his family safe to keep those safe who did not understand the magnitude, the very scale of evil the Darkness could spread, what it could do to those that stood in its path, the ignorant, the reckless, the unprepared, the people who did not know enough to survive, did not know when to stop, those who loved him and kept him safe and happy.

That was why he read books, punched and kicked things, fired spells from just his arms or ran sprints or jumps as an animal. So that they could have a chance, to stop the Darkness, to stop the evil from taking over, from ending all that was good, all that was happiness in this world. Why he learned to do the impossible,, so that he would not be twiddling thumbs when The War came, bigger than any before and far more devastating, for he knew a war would come, maybe through some seer skills or may be it was his magic preparing him but he just knew.

And so everyone who knew him had learned that Harry drifted off for a few hours every day, in the castle, somewhere, for some time with himself. For as much as he grew up faster, he had left a part of his childhood behind that night and so they allowed him, to maybe regain it, to be at peace and to be happy.

And now as the time came for the entourage to go to Hogwarts for their first year, nobody had a clue that it was going to be the start of something no one had ever seen before, a school life of adventures, of looking death in the eye, of happiness, joy, romance, pain, fun but most importantly, something bigger than just a person, something that could change the whole world as they knew it.

-XoXoX-

And as Harry came downstairs for breakfast on his eleventh birthday, awaiting his letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizradry, he could not help but feel that something was stirring In the air, in the magic, that his first year at school was not going to be just about a new environment or pranks or study sessions, it was the start of something bigger, but this time he would be ready for the Darkness, and even though far from invincible, he was not going to be twiddling thumbs when Darkness came at his doorstep, to finish what it started ten years ago.

A/N: So how was it, good? bad? As you can see Harry will be slightly overpowered, but he won't just bitch slap old Tommy to the ground either. This will be more of the family fic so yeah he will reveal secrets to his family and friends, but his hard earned skills won't go to waste either, so yes, he will do some serious ass kicking when time comes.

Anybody thinking about Dumbledore's beaviour can take it from wrong BWL fics but in my opinion, let there be no twin and an overprotective Lily in and it's a logical path taken.

This is unBETAed, please review.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Of letters and of familiars

 _-Thoughts_

 _-'_ Spells'

-Normal text

POV Harry

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

 _(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

 _Dear Mr Potter,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at_ _Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_ _. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on_ _1 September_ _. We await your owl by no later than_ _31 July_ _._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_

 _ **Second page**_

 _HOGWARTS SCHOOL_ _of_ _WITCHCRAFT_ _and_ _WIZARDRY_

 _UNIFORM_

 _First-year students will require:_

 _1\. Three sets of plain work_ _robes_ _(black)_

 _2\. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

 _3\. One pair of protective gloves (_ _dragon_ _hide or similar)_

 _4\. One winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)_

 _Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags._

 _COURSE BOOKS_

 _All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

 _The Standard Book of Spells_ _(Grade 1)_

 _by_ _Miranda Goshawk_

 _A History of Magic_

 _by_ _Bathilda Bagshot_

 _Magical Theory_

 _by_ _Adalbert Waffling_

 _A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration_

 _by_ _Emeric Switch_

 _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_

 _by_ _Phyllida Spore_

 _Magical Drafts and Potions_

 _by_ _Arsenius Jigger_

 _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_

 _by_ _Newt Scamander_

 _The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_

 _by_ _Quentin Trimble_

 _OTHER EQUIPMENT_

 _1_ _wand_

 _1_ _cauldron_ _(pewter, standard size 2)_

 _1 set glass or crystal phials_

 _1_ _telescope_

 _1 set_ _brass scales_

 _Students may also bring, if they desire, an_ _owl_ _OR a_ _cat_ _OR a_ _toad_ _._

 _PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS_

 _ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN_ _BROOMSTICK_

 _Ha so the letter is here_ , I thought watching with just a tiny bit of amusement as mum and Iris keep looking at me and the now sealed letter in my hands while trying unsuccessfully to act nonchalant and uncaring, a just about impossible expression for my nine year old sister to pull off as dad gave up all pretexts of pretending and tried a half hearted attempt to get the letter off my hands and into his while I kept it just out of his reach and put it under my breakfast plate and continued munching on my bacon and eggs while simultaneously offering a small piece to the post owl.

As the eagle owl looked the bacon, it gave the avian equivalent of a sniff and turned its head away as if the food was beneath the bird's notice but just as I was about to retract my hand, it plucked of the food gobbled it up in one go and glided away, a shrill sound of a happiness coming from its direction, a sound familiar to me from having been privy our family owl _Meadow's_ permanent hyper excited state.

 _Ten,_ I mentally counted as I continued my breakfast, the only sound at the entire dining table that of my clattering fork and spoon.

 _Nine,_ I gave a sideways glance to dad's hand creeping slowly from my adjacent chair, his seat, the head chair, desperately trying to maintain a façade of innocence and chivalry for all the good that it did him seeing as he was absently moving the spoon in his other hand near his ear instead of his mouth.

 _Eight,_ Mum while subtler was not exactly conspicuous, her hand also having dropped the fork and mouth opening and closing as if to ask something.

 _Seven,_ Iris was not even trying to hide anything, practically vibrating in her chair and from what I know of her, _and I do know a lot,_ wanting to jump and grapple and wrestle me for the piece of parchment.

 _Six,_ It was as if I had received the letter stating my election as the Minister of Magical Britain or something with how Hyperactive my family was.

 _Five,_ Not that I could blame them .After all I had never picked up a hyperactive or overexcited, or _Merlin forbid, a giggling, squealing mood_ and it seemed that all my share of it had been put in my family.

 _Four,_ My unique ability to not get surprised, whether it be surprise (or not so surprise) birthday parties or unplanned shopping or holiday trips, made my family and friends a touch morose and frustrated, ever trying to get a rise out of me.

 _Three,_ Not that me being all secretive, mature and detached at times helped a lot in this regard .

 _Two_ , So they always picked spots to surprise me, the ever calm Harry James Potter by taking me on a spontaneous trip to the Diagon Alley or something.

 _One_ , Iris made a really cute pouting face with her green hazel eyes to distract me.

 _Nope, can't distract me._ Her bottom quivered as she wrinkled her nose like the most adorable little and suddenly there was a flash of light and my letter flew for all of a second before I grabbed it from where it was going to dad's outstretched wand. _And when did that happen?_ My mind processed quickly . _Distraction , subterfuge , diversion, run for your life._

So I jumped out of the chair and made a run for the east side of the manor throwing over my shoulder a "See You Later" as dad came to his senses just now recovering from my lightning fast grab and mum and Iris coming after me, mum with her wand in her hand and sparkling and Iris with a spoon _A spoon?!_ this one sparking with her accidental magic as they both shrieked "Harryyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" _I swear there's Banshee blood in mum, no way can anyone shriek from one part of the castle to another, and past silencing charms too._

Then I felt two tugs at me and found myself being dragged back towards mum and dad, both having their wands stretched out and apparently a summoning charm in use. I quickly hid the letter inside a pocket as I gave up control and from the power of two instead of one, I felt myself being floated instead of pulled back, _nice feeling this._

With the game over and me being prepped over for the metaphorical slaughter at the hands of evil robes, demonic formal wear and the hell dimension of Gladrags at a later date. And dad wass laughing _laughing?! The git!_ at my predicament and picking the letter off me to go somewhere secluded to read the acceptance of mine in the prestigious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was stopped by a lithe, well manicured finger tugging at his collar. _Go mum._

"Uh, huh, darling, are you forgetting something?" and she raised a perfectly delicate eyebrow like only she could as if daring him to answer negatively.

Of course, dad does have a brain, as little functioning it may be _(or he learned from last time. Whatever._ )

And so the next hour or so went in a blur, at the end of which mum had called the Longbottom, Black/Bones and the Greengrass household and more than likely everyone else we know to plan a coordinated shopping trip in the afternoon for which I don't remember agreeing at all( _Well I did move my head up and down a few times in what I perceive to be agreement and maybe…..wait! What is this about dress robes and why are we going to shop for them. And I agreed to that, I really should stop thinking now, before I agree to one of dad's innumerable betrothal ideas ._ )

Their was no letter of mine to be found, which now thinking about it, I can see in the paws of Gloria, our household pet cat, having a grand time of munching it. _And did she just swallow it_!

"Bad Gloria, give it back,"mum's scolding the cat and there it is, _A Perfectly Chewed out Acceptance Letter, catnip flavor._ Well, thankfully mum has somehow to salvaged and copied the Thing, and with everyone busy then I'm off to find Meadows to get back a reply on it and have a few moments to myself before it is time for mum to plan her shopping outing with Godmother Alice, since Neville received his yesterday itself.

"Harrrrrrryyyyy, Neville's is at the Floo," and there it is, the little monster enjoying screeching out as sounds of conversation full of squeals and giggles come from the Floo currently in use by what I presume is my sister Iris and my god sister Aby, who has most likely pushed Neville away to have their girl talk.

 _Honestly, if they are not even ten yet, what kind of girl talk can it be._

And so I walk straight in, picked up my by now pouting sister, and carry her back to the couch and drop her down unceremoniously.

"Harryyyy!" and there is the whining little monster, somehow sounding cuter and more adorable than normal, looking cute as well, what with that wrinkled nose and pout, fake as it maybe, but I clamp down on any urges to hug the stuffings out of her, or worse yet coo, not too manly I suppose.

Coming back to the Floo, I drop down just in time to see a bewildered and shocked Aby being picked out of the fireplace, some vague sounds of protest and Neville's head dropping back in.

"Morning Harry, Happy Birthday!" well there's a nervous smile on his face too, as he gives a glance over his shoulder while muttering about shopaholic, overbearing mothers under his breath.

"Thank you Nev, I suppose. Soooo….." yeah a long silence as we both simultaneously check if the shopping preparation isn't already done and without the main victim…..er shopper too.

"You got the letter too then," I asked trying to get a cheering mood back in our talks.

It worked surprisingly well as we worked out what all the books and instructions meant together. This was how it went, we were among the more serious of all of us friends and while I am a lot more serious than Neville, I think that that attack at his home eleven years ago did leave an impression.

He doesn't like to talk about it much, (Which I can honestly sympathize, it is not like I have shared my memories of That Night with anyone in the family) but I know that on a deeper, instinctual level, he remembers the feelings of the time. How Godmother was in St. Mungos' for a week and Uncle Frank was barely coherent except for playing with Neville. Not a great time but after Godmother's recovery, it did put a bit more of a firmness in the decision to make The Alliance.

So when I am not off doing my own studies or self-training in seclusion, I spend some time just about every day with Neville, brothers and all. Working on gardening, learning useful spells, reading funny stories or even different course books, playing game or even just sitting around, doing nothing .

He feels closer than anyone not my blood family, maybe because he understands, maybe or maybe because we are similar in anything we do.

So like every other time we plan out the trip, with me throwing out suggestions and him giving his input, an efficient methodical method to utilize all the time of our trip to maximum output and maximum, but of course as they say, no plan survives enemy contact. Soooooooo…

 **Diagon Alley**

The all needs shopping district of Magical Britain. Well there is Hogsmeade too but for all of my few visits there, the only things vaguely interesting I've seen the bookstore and The Three broomsticks. And even though mum and dad tell us all the time about their Hogsmeade trips, anytime other then when I make my first trip to the Shrieking Shack or Hogshead, I imagine it is going to be fairly mundane.

Diagon Alley for all its hustle and bustle had a certain charm to it. Almost magnetic, as if drawing me towards itself .And then I step out of the fireplace, all silent firm and graceful, I take a moment to stop and get a feel of…..

 **WHAM**

And then reality crashes down on me, or more like Iris does, bowling me over and landing on top of me, and I can just see the overly innocent look she is giving me as if this hasn't happened in the past. A lot.

After fifteen more minutes in which the Longbottoms' arrive by the Floo, all stumbling out of it or in case of Neville, being launched out towards the cushioned chair I've prepared for him, just to give him a perfect landing.

And then,… we get mobbed!

"Welcome back Mr. Potter!"

"Its good to see you Mr. Potter!"

"Its such a pleasure, Mr. Potter!"

And this goes for another thirty 30 seconds, where I shake hands, get hugs, pats on the back, sloppy kisses on the cheek( a teenager almost got my mouth. _Ew. Gross.),_ swooning girls, and _did someone just grope my behind!?,_ thankfully mum gets me out of there evil clutches while Iris and Abigail stop there laughing with a look from me while I plant a fist on Neville's head to stop him from falling down from hysterics.

"Ouch Harry, that hurt," he goes ahead while I linger behind within mum's range, to discourage any other unsavory characters and someone who appears to be a blabbering twit introduces himself as the newest Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, and I thank the Gods again for having memorized mum's charms books and dad's transfiguration books as well as their collective collection up to OWLs, with NEWTs just after that.

The only things left are to make sure I can cast spells as well with a wand as I do them without one as well as working on actual course book spells and not going off the tangent.

As a last girl manages to sneak a kiss on my right cheek, and withered away at mum's look, I reorganize my thoughts from when I was about to unleash some serious raw magic at those people .

They just prove my hypothesis that the wizarding world is full of people full of morons and senseless people, deferring to their magic more than their brains or logic in most cases, I've seen this thing in mum as well, despite of her having been born in a non-magical household. She has even dropped practicing all forms of self defense grand dad taught her when she going away to Hogwarts or the knife handling she learned or even sometimes the walking from room to room is forgotten too in favor of apparating. And in spite of her practicing, she hasn't been able to do much without her wand, only basic summoning and some weak stingers( I know they are weak because I have been hit, and they tingle).

Everyone else I know too relies much on magic than on their own skills, physical mental or otherwise. And that what leads me to assume that the brains have become less analytical and logical due to disuse. That can be the only explanation as to why I became a celebrity overnight at just one year old when no one knows what happened, even mum had been unconscious at the end and then only Dumbledore declared me the Boy-Who-Lived and somehow people believed him.

When he was not even there, and the only witness of that night able to tell them at the time had fled away in a swirl of Darkness . As far I know, I have never given an interview either and still everybody just _knows_ what happened that night.

And then the books, How stupid can a person be. Of course the books were false, but _nooo_ , people were asking 2 year old me on my first trip to the Diagon Alley after that night if I had defeated a thousand mummies or killed a pack of nundus, at 2 years old. It was a horrible experience, and the reason I've made so few public appearances after that night.

I was broken out of my thoughts when we all head together towards the entrance, unfortunately uncle Padfoot is busy, some case of a break-in I think. _A boring job he has, I think, no dragons, nundus , thunderbirds or sphinxes. No fun at all._

Uncle Moony too just got off a full moon, so, a no go there.

Three up, two across. And there it is, Diagon Alley, in all its glory. Though I think the major Magical Bazaar of Egypt is better, but that may just be me.

Even Knockturn Alley is better, as long as no one knows when I went there for a walk with the hoop up, glowing green eyes and fanged teeth. _Yeah better keep it a secret._

And just I try to recall the list from school to the forefront of my mind, we enter the Gringotts premises. We leave the Longbottoms on their own since they do not need to withdraw money and enter the white marble doors ourselves.

 _Enter, stranger, but take heed_  
 _Of what awaits the sin of greed_  
 _For those who take, but do not earn,_  
 _Must pay most dearly in their turn._  
 _So if you seek beneath our floors_  
 _A treasure that was never yours,_  
 _Thief, you have been warned, beware_  
 _Of finding more than treasure there._

I have always liked the goblins, intelligent, sharp, dangerous and no-nonsense kind of people. The Alliance as a whole gets along well with them, and the Potters specifically being one of the founding families and with our impeccable behavior, we are in their good graces. The armed goblins give a slight bow and my family gives one to as they absently go into the bank while I give to the goblins what is known among them as a Warrior's Bow- a sign of respect amongst the beings of the Warrior race, and a sideways tilt of my own weapon- abeautifully crafted dagger sheathed in a leather bound sheath, which causes a bit more surprise amongst them, Probably because they have rarely if ever seen a wizard carrying a weapon other than the wands with them.

They then give me a deeper bow as I reply to their shark-like grins with my own fanged smirk, a trick from my animagus transformations and trailed off after my family. It was a pretty short trip to the money vault of the Potters' for the shopping and to get me galleons if I find something interesting. No Hogsmeade trips till third year, but still I have my own money if I go to Hogsmeade on my own.

The first stop was to the Porters', to get me a Standard School Trunk with two expandable racks for books and potions ingredients and a permanent enlarging charm tied to the runes carved to the inside of the trunks. The runes that I could identify were the expansion, self cleaning, and protection runes with a password locked lid on the outside. And even though it would have been fun to get a compartmentalized trunk or those all need trunks, they would have been useless anyway since this will give me time to alter the runic design and tweak a bit on my own time.

We then went to Flourish and Blotts and gathered all of the coursebooks specifically set aside in bundles by years, I did pick up some good reading material, (the Hogwarts library would be better for research learning magics advanced for my age, and since I did get the password for the Restricted Section from dad, it wouldn't be that much of a bother to copy the useful bits or even the whole books if I need to what with mum having told me that the Hogwarts syllabus is getting a bit down by the years, it certainly seems so, because what I have read in mum's fifth year charm being similar in content to the current seventh year book.

So yes, I will need to build up a kind of Marauder's Map for myself, since mum has turn a blind ear to my requests for the Invisibility Cloak, so brushing up on the disillusionment and notice-me-not wards would be essential too. Maybe I will ask Tulip if she can find any good secluded places in the school, or maybe tickle the pear and find the kitchen and have some special meals for myself with the house elves for company.

I should also try and get maybe some other places out of dad's mouth too, not uncle Padfoot since he only tells about Broom Closets with that ridiculous eyebrow dance of his. _Who wants to know about Broom Closets and why would I want to know more about the female anatomy any way. Why the heck concept of procreation attract me in the slightest._ And when I make a blank face at the talks of dark places, the Senior Marauders just laugh at me, and say that I would understand when I grow up. _As if I would bring down myself on their level of uncouthness and indignity._

I did in fact have to call up on Tulip after moving in a corner for her to find out what useful books in the store are not in the library of the Potters' and bring me a list.

She is most likely the most intelligent and knowledgeable elf there is, what with her being one my partner-in-crime whenever I do something dangerous and thrilling. Enchanting the swords, riding the Pegasus, researching rune carving for me or even high speed Popping me all over the country, she is my go to girl. A pretty unconventional use for a house elf when the normal personal elves act mostly as servants and playing fetch.

So after picking up a big bundle of books, to mum's proud expression and dad's sulking and muttering "…..Ravenclaw, the shame" we went out, Iris already ahead moving towards the Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. We met up with aunt Alice and Neville, turned out Uncle Frank was still trying to drag Abigail from the Eyelops Owl Emporium, albeit unsuccessfully.

After the cool refreshment we went to complete the shopping, splitting up, dad picked up Iris and went to get me telescope as well as some pranks to play(even with me not being interested in the least), while mum took me to Slug and Jiggers and bought all the ingredients, cauldron, crystal vials as well as the dragonhide gloves.

We joined dad at Madam Malkins' Robes For All Occasions and it was a half an hour of absolute pain torture and agony. _Now I understand why Neville was all gloomy ._

The second last shop was the Eeylops Owl Emporium, to get me my pet an owl. But just as we entered the store, I got a feeling. Like a tug at my magic, a pull at my heart, directed to the inside of the store.

I vague heard mum call out to me, "Harry, sweetheart, where are….." before ventured deeper into the store , only my exceptional situational awareness making it possible to hear the footsteps following me as I passed by many caged up and some not too caged owls-Tawny, Barn, Screech, Brown, Eagle yet none of them are what I am hearing.

There is a cage in one corner with the most beautiful snowy owl inside it, looking at me intently, calling out to me, a sharp intelligence in _her_ eyes, as I somehow inexplicably know that it is a 'her' and not a 'him'. The shopkeeper shots from across the room to stop me from opening the cage but I heed no care to his warning , opening the cage and letting the beauty climb up my arm. She gives a melodious chirp and takes a gentle nip of my outstretched finger, giving the bird equivalent of purring, as I give her a grooming with my fingers.

It suddenly feels like I am complete in a way like a part of mine that I did not even know about was missing, and as I get some feelings in me that are not my own, I know that I have somehow found what a rare few achieve in centuries-a familiar, my snowy owl and the name comes to me on its own, with a feeling of satisfaction from the bird on the name- Hedwig.

A/N: Not much action in this one. Harry still loves his family, and there can't be much family at Hogwarts so there. The action will start later though, around Halloween I say. With the "TROLL IN THE DUNGEONS, thought you should know."

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Next chapter: Wand Chooses the Wizard and Boarding the Express


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